Trailer body construction



Jan. 198, 1949.

.1. v.1. BLACK I' TRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

rFiled April 13, 1944 Y v INVENTOR.

Jan. 18, 1949. J, J. BLACK TRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1944 Patented Jan. 18, 1949 2,459,766 c TRAILER' :BODY CoNs' lzituc'rroir"fc Jameso. Black; cincinnati,

ohio, :assigner to miles Trailmoble- Company; a corporationmf @ela-1 ware t K Apiilicatioil- April -13 f 194 This finven'tion. relatesffto vtheconstruction^l of a i bodies' 4:for trailers? :and: similar highway: evehicles, particularlyfthosenf theclosed type: f Theinven- .i tionis prirrrarily concerned with zthefconstruction* of thelowevportionffof fthetside walls-of -a trailer Y5 body-:- andistheuneans :providedzfor maintaining the rigidity of the side walls with respect -to the floor andikro1ster`s.:.

In anyfcopending applicationser-ial No: 530,851, filent-Aprily `1'3, 1944;f1entitled#Trailer Ybody-,side 10 2 wall; constduction.ly I have fdisclDsedi-atraileri body- T construction-.in which the .sidemalls of :thefl body arewlformed substantially from.; sheets 'of plastic. l materialmpreferabl-y-f laminatede-and reinforced bybracingnmembers-:inserted in the. corrugations 15,1 f

andcbetweenfthe laminations.r of fthe sheets. fThe presentrinvention-:fs ralso `concerned with. them utilization ofc-this type ofbody Wall construction. butis partcularlyfdrected tothef..provision` 4of means iforreenorcing-i the-side .wal-lpanelsini` 20 the area Ladjaoentrthe: iioor ofthe vehicle.,. In,- asmuch as the wall panelsfo-.the typedisclosed in myA copending application .if` not reenforced .and braced-fmight-lackthe rigidity necessary ior ;use,-

in f vehicle` f construction `and the. Areenforcerrent` 25 provided bythe vehicle r` corrugations and posts..,. enclosedetherein is necessarily:terminate-:d.,atcthe.m iioor line, of the vehic1`e,additional and novel Supa.;- porte-means have beenpro-vided in this. general area and. particularly fbeneath'. the. fiorvlinetin -`30 ordento complete: a bodyconstruction :whichwill be suiciently. resistant `to @the shocksland strains incidentY kto vthe rough wear/to which'irehiclesiof thisftype' are rsubjectedwf` n Oneiof the objects of the present-invention has In.35 been to provide a construction in whiohthesideo wallfpanels; f 1 preferablyformed of i corrugated plastic sheets; may--be extended@ to a point rsub. stantiallybelowthel :door liney `of the: vehicle and.; reenforced :andisupportedlover the extended area: f a 40 Another V4object' Lhas :been: to `provide :lmeans: `for 1 utilizingthebol'sters.; conventionally ijused fin sa trailer body :constructionxin:combination withf an? extension L :of :the :Vehicle: side wall "beneath:- thef'rr; obr 'flinevto '.provide :a strongzfand :substantiallyff :45 y unitary,constructionfatthisrpointc 4 t Another lobiect :has been Ito fprovidesimeanscfor y, reenforcingnand 'bracingzthez inner-isurfacefofa trailersbody :side:1vJalli-formed-t from corrugatedfV pl astio` sheetsfin' the .area-:infwhiciuitheside wall; 50 r has been extended below.ftheroordine;offfthevehicleibodym.

Anotheriobieciehasabeenrtouprovde meanseforff obtainingfa; particularly:tighgtfand'secureaengag menta1betweenerrreenfnrcngnimetal: plates aand.

4, SerialNoSUgEZ- 296+-f28 p1astic'asheets: in aconnection.: With therqoarticular g construction to whi'chzthef'inrention'relates l Otheri objectstand :advantages will be iapparentY .1; i from :the^s-urthe1.;aand muore f-detailed -descrintionzr c of -th'e invention when considered-in conjunctionmi with the drawings in Which:.:.;

Figurer 1 is side.feleiiationnof` 1a completed trailerfbfodyoin. whichfthetinventionsinf the pres-23.*- entfapplicatonafhave ,fbeenmbodiedr z 1 Fig`ure112 is at sectional :viewfof theflowerfedge of z: the side wall of thebodycillustrated'finfFigure -f1` a at ai centralzpointzalong fthetbody:virali:`

Figureir is a y sectionalfview. alongl the-'linea 3,-3w1 Figurec. t

Figurer@ is .a \viewfsimilar.A to Figura-3 excepngf-i thatait includesfai larger-longitudinal area of ther.-A lower edgeiof thesi'de:.wall.Y

Fi'gures is a: sectional Viewsimilarzto@Figure-12. illustratingrafmodiiedfform of construction.

Figur'eifircis a; sectionalwiewfalong'thelinaEGEM Fgretz:

FigureR-is asectionalivew'similarzto Figures :2f and .5 illustrating a secondmodicationffof ther'- f construction: 4

Fig-ureca-is af sectionalf-Niew :along the line;` 8,-.8,

FgU-'Ieli'fi Figure 9is1a perspective uView of f'a preferredmy formsof reenforcing plateutilizedffin certain v.of 'n thertormszoffthe inventiomft In ithez trail-e1:- fbody:illustrated:in:Figure s1 the/ff! bod-y'rhas:b'eenedesignatedi generally asf-:l ll and, the ,l side-cwall-a's irl. .Various-@conventionalelements suchrasethe runningcgearflZ land the-prop l-3 are showmi'These#elements forni fno'v =part ,f of the presentifinventiom The qsidezrwalls f, .fll r which: are 'fr preferably formedcxfrom. laminated plastic are\ reenforcedzrwerticallyi byff,;the-. corrugations .f I4: Upizenand'slower -rubrails designatedi and-fl 6, t.k respectivelwiprovide `L=horizon-tal reenforcement and'zalso-,periorm fthe.- customaryzfun'ction of 'proa -v tecti-ngisthevibodyi wall.; ,from-e external contacts.; Cross boltstersi'l 1 :offbowedconguration'depend betweenfthef.sidewalls The; ,constructionz-at thea lowerfedge-iof ,the side f walls. with whichcwthiaginvention is n particularly concerned-is .best illustrated. inliigures 2A and 3. Asfthere fshown; :the loon .L8 seated directly .on,` the, ,upper@surfacev of-,the1.bolster.l 'l which is Vof channel@ congquratiormandais there.- secured .in positionbysscrews-r t9 .-passingthroughrv the .loor. andthefupper surface :of thebolsten. The lower railfel ement 2li tha-sfrerticarfandihorizontaL. por# i tionszitheiformerebeinglznconguratedato'iormlthe .1 cormgationft-iandithal-atter-:beingextendeftb neathcthe ychem-nel,1 shapedsfbolstersand. isecuredt In order to support the lower inner surface of the plastic side wall II and to distribute the reenforcement of this surface over a substantial area, plates 24 are disposed directly adjacent the f inner wall surface and between the oor I8 and the side wall II. The plates are then secured to the rail member through the side wall by the rivets 22.

since the function of the plates 24 is to distribute the support of the inner and lower edge tions 38 which, as in the case of the form shown in Figures 1 and 2, extend beneath the floor line to the lower edge of the rail member 20. A plate 24 is disposed over the aperture 23 in the same way as previously described and the attachment members 39 passing through the beam 36 secure this plate to the rail member. The bolster I1 is passed through the aperture 23 in the side wall asin the rst described-form and its extended portion 2| is welded to the inner surface of the ycorrugation I6.

As illustrated in Figure 9, the plate members 24 preferably have a plurality of pointed projections 40 on their inner surfaces. Since in the'forms illustrated in Figures 1-4 and 1-8 these plate members are disposed directly adjacent plastic surfaces, these pointed projections 40 bite into these surfaces and provide an additional of the side Wall it is not essential thatithey be of the exact configuration shown in Figure 9. However, the form shown .in Figure 9 is the preferred form since it provides a `complete support over the unreenforcedarea including the edges of the aperture 23.'v

When the assembly has been completed the rail element 20 completely covers the apertures 23 and lends a smooth and `even appearance to the area as well as providing longitudinal bracing along the length of the body wall.

In Figures 5 and 6 there is illustrated a modification of the invention in which the side Wall 25 of the vehicle is formed entirely from`lami.

nated plastic sheets reenforced by longitudinal rails or beams. In this form` the longitudinal beam 26 is enclosed in the pocket 21 formed between laminations of the plastic and the outer rub rail 28 is similarlyl enclosed in a corrugation 29 formed longitudinally on the outer surface of the body. The side wall 25 above the beam 26 may have vertical corrugations 30 similar to those utilized in the preferred form of the invention.

In this modified form the bolster I1a terminates laterally at the beam 26 and a channel-shaped member 3| is interposed between the bolster and the beam. This channel member lmay' be extended the entire length of the vehicle body. Attachment members 32 hold the channel member 3I tightly positioned against the inner surface of the side wall 25 above and below the rub rail 29 in the manner illustrated. In this form, if desired, panels 33 of plywood or the like may be disposed on the inner surface of the corrugation's 30 and secured to the beam 2B by the screws 34 or similar attachment elements.

The advantage of the form illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 is that it largely dispenses with the use of metal reenforcing elements and provides a body in which the reenforcement and support is provided entirely `by the corrugations and reenforcing members disposed therein.

In Figures 7 and 8 there is illustrated a second modification somewhat similar to that illustrated in Figures 1-4. In this modification the side wall 35, preferably formed of laminated plastic sheets, has a reenforcing beam 36 disposed in the pocket 31 formed between the laminations. This beam may be substantially greater in height than it is in width and preferably extends from a point somewhat above the floor line to the lower edge of the rail member 20. This rail member is similar in configuration to that illustrated in the form shown in Figure 2. The side wall preferably includes the vertical corrugacrack or pull under strains is effectively neu-v tralized.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1.1In trailer body construction, a side wall sub- 307'stantially formed from a unitary corrugated 10i/'having their ends inserted through the side wall plastic sheet extending for the entire height of the wall, said sheet having apertures in the lower edge thereof at spaced points along its length, a rail member extending along the lower edge lof the wall on the outer surface thereof and concealing the apertures, said rail member hav ing a substantially continuous longitudinal corrugation formed therein and cross bolsters disposed transversely of the trailer body and apertures and secured to the inner surface of the rail member corrugation.

2. In trailer body construction, a side wall subrr.stantially formed from a unitary corrugated plas- """tic sheet, said sheet having apertures in the lower Y,

edge thereof at spaced points along its length,aA

rail member extending along the lower edge of the wall on the outer surface thereof and concealing the apertures, cross bolsters disposed transversely of the trailer body and having their ends inserted through the side wall apertures and secured to the yinner surface of the rail member,

reenforcing plates disposed on the inner surface areas between the corrugations, a rail memberl extending along the lower edge' of the side wall on the outer surface thereof and concealing the apertures, cross bolsters disposed transversely of the trailer body and having their ends secured to the inner surface of the rail member, reenforc:L

ing plates positioned on the inner surface of the side wall adjacent the apertures and attachment means for'securing `thep1ates to the rail member through the side wall. i

4. In a trailer body a side wall substantially formed from a unitary plastic sheet having vertical corrugations formed therein and apertures formed in the lower edge of the sheet in the areas between the corrugations, a rail member extending along the lower edge of the side wall on the outer surface thereof and concealing the apertures, cross bolsters disposed transversely of the trailer body and having their ends secured to the inner surface of the rail member, reenforcing plates positioned on the inner surface of the side wall adjacent the apertures, said plates having pointed projections on the surface adjacent the wall for engagement therewith and attachment. means for securing the plates to the rail member l through the wall.

5. In a body for trailers or the like a side wall substantially formed from a laminated plastic sheet, a longitudinal beam member disposedbetween the laminations of the plastic adjacent the lower edge of the wall, said Wall having apertures formed in the lower edge thereof at spaced points, a rail member disposed on the outer surface of the wall along the lower edge thereof and concealing the apertures, cross bolsters extending transversely of the body, said cross bolsters having their ends extended through the body wall apertures and secured to the outer rail member,

reenforcing plates positioned on the inner surface of the body wall adjacent the apertures, and attachment means securing the plates to the outer rail member through the beam.

` JAMES J. BLACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

